Pluto
5 recognized moons
Illustrated moon positions
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Bodies to scale · Distances compressed · Major orbits shown
Dwarf planet
Pluto
New Horizons photographed Pluto’s mountains, haze layers and Sputnik Planitia during its 2015 flyby. Pluto has five known moons.
- Mean diameter
- 2,377 km
- Year
- 249.1 Earth years
- Mean distance from Sun
- 39.59 AU
Natural satellite
Charon
- Mean diameter
- 1,212 km
- Orbital period
- 6.387 Earth days
- Mean distance from parent
- 19,600 km
Reference diameter; no global surface map is available here.
Natural satellite
Nix
- Mean diameter
- 36 km
- Orbital period
- 24.85 Earth days
- Mean distance from parent
- 49,300 km
Reference diameter; no global surface map is available here.
Natural satellite
Hydra
- Mean diameter
- 37 km
- Orbital period
- 38.2 Earth days
- Mean distance from parent
- 65,200 km
Reference diameter; no global surface map is available here.
Natural satellite
Kerberos
- Mean diameter
- 12 km
- Orbital period
- 32.17 Earth days
- Mean distance from parent
- 58,300 km
Reference diameter; no global surface map is available here.
Natural satellite
Styx
- Mean diameter
- 10 km
- Orbital period
- 20.16 Earth days
- Mean distance from parent
- 43,200 km
Reference diameter; no global surface map is available here.
5 of 5 moons have a mean orbital reference here. Inner system covers mean distances within 80 parent radii. Locations along the orbits are illustrated, not current ephemerides.
About this view & sources
Measured body diameters share one scale. Moon distances are compressed separately. Point markers identify moons without a measured diameter; they are not scaled spheres.
Illustrated orbital arrangement, not current moon positions. Published mean semimajor axes, eccentricities and inclinations define the reference orbits. Complete orientation and phase are unavailable in this projection; marker locations are illustrative. The local orbital plane is schematic.
Planet maps show representative appearances, not current photographs. The Sun uses an actual NASA JPL SDO/STEREO 2012 mosaic at 304 Å: false-colour ultraviolet imaging of the chromosphere, not visible-light colour or current activity. Its glow is illustrative.
Inner system: satellites with a mean orbital distance within 80 parent-planet radii. All moons retains every source member and plots every available orbit.
Surface maps are representative NASA/JPL/Caltech/USGS mosaics, with source-image gaps and cleanup. All available moon positions are plotted; only major orbits are drawn together. Outlined marks locate small moons. Solid dots identify unavailable diameters. Small moons with known diameters use reference spheres for size, not detailed shape models.
- JPL · approximate planetary positions, 1800–2050 ↗
- JPL · planetary physical parameters ↗
- NASA · the eight planets ↗
- NASA · Sun facts ↗
- Mercury · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Venus · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Jupiter · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Saturn · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Uranus · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Neptune · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Earth · NASA Visible Earth · Blue Marble ↗
- Mars · NASA/JPL/USGS · NASA Trek ↗
- NASA JPL SDO/STEREO 304 Å Carrington mosaic (2012; false colour) ↗
- JPL · IAU-recognized satellite discoveries ↗
- JPL · physical parameters and uncertainties ↗
- JPL · mean orbital elements ↗
- NASA NSSDCA · Jovian sidereal orbital periods ↗
